Experts Say Poaching Could Soon Lead to a Decline in the Rhino Population

Lucero, Louis. "Experts Say Poaching Could Soon Lead to a Decline in the Rhino Population." Experts Say Poaching Could Soon Lead to a Decline in the Rhino Population. N.p., 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/science/experts-say-poaching-could-soon-lead-to-a-decline-in-the-rhino-population.html?ref=endangeredandextinctspecies>.

The world population of Rhinos is decreasing because of the high rate of poachers. The International Rhino Foundation said that there were around 688 rhinos killed in 2012. Illegal poaching is the only obvious reasoning that is there when it comes to the extinction of rhinos, even though there are several other reasons. Some of those reasons may include, deforestation, the displacement of human settlements and the destruction of the rhino’s habitat. For example, in Zimbabwe, thousands of acres of the rhinos’ natural habitat has been turned into a farmland. Fewer than 30,000 rhinos are left in the five surviving species. Out of those five species, the most at risk is the Sumatran rhino with fewer than 100 rhinos around the world. The white rhinos are the least at risk of extinction.

            Rhinos are the largest living land mammals, are they are seen to be as symbols of humans’ impact on the natural world. They have been hunted for centuries, because of their horns, which or worth more than gold as the amount gets bugger, and because their horns also make a traditional Chinese medicine.

            I think that the author did a good job in writing this article. He clearly explained the different species of rhinos that are getting extinct. Also, he gave statistics for the amount of rhinos that are left in the world, the specific species, and how many have been killed. I think that the author could have added more detail to his work, and maybe that could have maybe made me understand this topic a bit more. I think that what is happening to the rhinos is terrible, and this should really stop. I hope that we can save the rhinos. 

With Extra Anchovies, Deluxe Whale Watching

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/us/with-extra-anchovies-deluxe-whale-watching.html?ref=science&_r=0

Goode, Erica. "With Extra Anchovies, Deluxe Whale Watching." New York Times. N.p., 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

          In the waters of Monterey Bay there have been miles and miles of anchovies. Thousands of sea lions came to the bay, pelicans flew in, bottle nosed dolphins, and humpback whales. Whale watchers were amazed as they watched about 200 whales breach and blow. These animals are common to this area but none have stayed this long. All the animals together haven't made a dent in the population of anchovies. In one spot there were so many anchovies the oxygen ran out and many died off. The waters have created the "perfect storm" so the anchovies lay there eggs in the warm waters and they develop quickly. Scientists are not sure when these animals will finally migrate, they estimate it could be December.

          This event shows scientists that animals, specifically humpback whales, don't migrate only due to weather. These animals have survived longer because they have enough food. This also shows scientists that when there is a surplus of food different species of animals won't attack each other as much. Because there is enough anchovies for all the whales and sea lions didn't interact. Lastly this article proves that any year could be a good year for a species. The past six years have been hard on these animals and this year has been great for them.

          This article was well written and had enough interesting info to make the reader want to continue. It was interesting to hear the stories of the whale watchers, I never thought so many whales and dolphins could be in one place at once. However there is not a lot of scientific info so there is not a lot of proof of why it is happening.

Researchers Find Ancient Seawater Had Twice The Salt

Neuman, Scott. "Researchers Find Ancient Seawater Had Twice The Salt." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/19/246187564/researchers-find-ancient-seawater-had-twice-the-salt

Scientists recently discovered a pocket of ancient seawater near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. This pocket of seawater has been trapped below layers of sediment near the present day area of Chrales, Virginia. It is estimated that this archaic seawater has been trapped since the days of the dinosaurs, approximately 100-150 million years ago. Hydrologist Ward Sanford theorized that the seawater was struck my an asteroid some 35 million years ago which prevented the water from being flushed out with sediments, isolating it. This water pocket was found 5,000 feet underground. This is the oldest large body of seawater ever discovered. It was discovered that the seawater of the Cretaceous Era was nearly twice as salty as modern day water. Scientists were able to identify the age of the water using the amount of helium in the water, helium is given off by uranium deposits as they age.

This discovery has a large impact in the science community. It gives evidence that ancient oceans had a much higher degree of salinity (saltiness) than they have today. This discovery does not really have an impact on the average person but I believe it will in the long run. Scientific discoveries like this help us to understand the world and design solutions for current issues.

I thought this article was well written by author Scott Neuman, it was concise, to the point and easy to read. Despite the article not being as lengthy as I would like it still provides the reader with a wealth of information. Neuman provides useful information about this important scienfic discovery.

Finally, a Way to Predict a Wildfire's Behavior in Real Time

Chem                                                                                                                             John Markola

 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=finally-a-way-to-predict-a-wildfires-behavior-in-real-time 

Massey, Nathanael. "Finally, a Way to Predict a Wildfire's Behavior in Real Time: Scientific American." Finally, a Way to Predict a Wildfire's Behavior in Real Time: Scientific American. Scientific American, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=finally-a-way-to-predict-a-wildfires-behavior-in-real-time>.

 This article was about how Scientists have developed a new technique to predict the behavior of wildfires, using high-resolution satellite imagery to periodically check and revise computer simulations. Also, The Suomi NPP, a weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, carries a special infrared sensor that can capture high-resolution images anywhere on the globe. This is called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and it can observe the Earth's surface at a much finer scale than the average satellite sensor.

By giving scientists the information of how the wildfire will act, we can stop the wildfires before they grow too large and have a devastating effect on where it hit. This research is important to our everyday lives because it would stop many wildfires and help save a great deal of nature and animals, and prevent the gases that pollute the atmosphere during the event of a wildfire.

I thought this article was very interesting, and I was impressed while reading it how they have now created such a contemporary device to tell so much about these wildfires and help preserve our nature.

New Interactive Tool Helps Track Earth’s Forests

Lucero, Louis. "New Interactive Tool Helps Track Earth’s Forests." New York Times. N.p., 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

                Google created a map device that will detect forest destruction.  This tool will show an area that experienced a disturbance in the forest. Color blocking is used to represent deforestation that happened over a period of time. This idea has been considered many times and now it finally has been put in action. The device uses up a lot of energy, and once when it was used, it dimed the lights in the room, but it is still worth trying.  This devise helped Brazil with deforestation. Once the device located the rainforest that was gradually shrinking, the people helped decrease the disturbance of the forest.

            This tool is helpful in decreasing the green house gases formed by burning the forests. When a destruction of a forest is detected on the map, police provide more protection towards that forest. Trees are one of the providers of oxygen for humans and animals, if we can save more trees, then the better it will be for us to live.

            This article is well written and it contains enough details to explain what this device does, but it does not contain a lot of examples that show how this device has been helpful to us. The only example it provides the reader with is the deforestation in Brazil.

Fast-Paced Evolution in the Andes

Zimmer, Carl. "Fast-Paced Evolution in the Andes." New York Times. New York Times, 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/science/high-above-sea-level-evolutionary-hot-spots.html?ref=science&_r=0

This article was about how the Páramos blanket in the Andes in Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia has proven to be one of the most fast paced places for evolution on earth. Dr. Madriñán, an expert on the Páramos, says that because the climate in the Páramos is so extreme, plants there need to find ways to adapt and survive, which causes the fast paced evolution. The Páramos is sometimes cold and covered with mist, and then the climate quickly changes to hot and sunny. The plants need to be able to protect themselves from the cold and the heat. One of the species only found in the Páramos is the Espeletia uribei, a daisy the size of a tree that has hairs on its flowers to protect it from the sun and a covering of dead leaves on its stem to keep it warm. According to Dr. Madriñán, the Páramos only started forming its diverse plant species 2.5 million years ago, and that is a very short time for all the evolution there to take place.

This article shows us how this event effects humanity because the Páramos is giving us a deeper look into how evolution takes place. This can give us clues as to how evolution happens in other places around the world. Another place where fast paced evolution is taking place is the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin did his famous experiment about evolution with the finches on the island. These “evolution hot-spots” can help us predict new evolution and learn more about evolution around the world.

Overall, this article thoroughly explained how the evolution in the Páramos is happening and why. I would have liked if it gave more examples of other plants evolving in the Páramos and other places around the world where fast paced evolution is taking place.

Herbal Supplements Are Not What They Seem

In the article, Herbal Supplements Are Not What They Seem by Anahad O'connor, it tells us about how herbal supplements that are used to fight off colds are not what they appear to be. Products that are said and labeled to be supplements are really powered weeds and rice which is shown in peoples DNA tests. These supplements have been replaced by cheap products such as wheat and rice. Even some bottles that are said to treat mild depression actually don't contain any of the medicinal herb.

This problem can affect people, because they think they are being treating and they are getting better but really they are being given false supplements. These supplements not only are just not helping people get better who are trying to fight off colds, but also they are faking a product used to fight of serious issues like depression which is a big problem today. 

This article was informative and it's a good piece of information to know and make people aware about and let them know that if there really taking something it could be false and not helping them at all. It's an issue that it is good to make people aware of and hopefully if they ever have the problem of having to fight off a cold people can be aware that some herbal supplements are not what they think they are buying. 

Humpback Dolphin Clan Branches Out

Humpback Dolphin Clan Branches Out

Recently, a group of humpback dolphins has been spotted off the Northern coast of Australia. They have been designated as a new species of humpback dolphin. They were an unknown species previously before the spotting. The Wildlife Conservation Society has been trying to prove that there were more than two different types of humpback dolphin and collected “physical and generic” evidence from the different species. They eventually concluded that there were four discrete species of humpback dolphin. The new species have yet to be given names.

For society, this shows us that not just particularly in humpback dolphins, but in all animal species that there may be more distinct species within previously known species. For example, there may be a definitive species of tiger within a species that we do not know about. Thus, this opens up all new possibilities for new discoveries of animals.

I thought this article was well-written because it was straight and to the point, however I believe it could have contained more information on what these new dolphins looked like since there was no name. Overall, I think this was a great article that provided new light on an unknown topic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/science/humpback-dolphin-clan-branches-out.html?ref=science

 "Humpback Dolphin Clan Branches Out." New York Times. N.p., 4 Nov. 2013. Web.